DURHAM — An elderly couple escaped injury and damage was minimal in a chimney fire at their home Thursday morning, thanks to the quick action of an unidentified passing motorist.

The motorist spotted the flames around the top of the cinder-block chimney, which is on the exterior wall of the house, Deputy Fire Chief Gary Lane said. The driver quickly jumped out of his vehicle and was able to extinguish the fire with a nearby garden hose in the yard, Lane said.

He estimated the damage at $3,000 to the exterior of the one-and-a-half story, single-family, wood-frame house at 646 Newell Brook Road owned by Gordon Robbins. One firetruck from the Lisbon Fire Department responded to assist Durham firefighters. Both departments cleared the scene in an hour, Lane said.